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Makes me cringe. Is it significant they are all HD riders?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5G6FPcGXps

Yes - but probably not too embarrassed at their lack of ability as it can't be any more embarrassing than the things they were riding.

The Deals Gap clip is pretty famous

is that the one where they just ride straight off the road?

Yes - the one where the second rider follows the first

Ooo look. Harley's that can't go round corners.. Who would've though it.

That clip is beyond belief. How did the second bike manage to follow the first ? ????
Perhaps they were too busy being 'rightous bro's ' and could not see through thier compulsary dark shades, man

lazarus wrote:Makes me cringe. Is it significant they are all HD riders?

Well the most stupid or dangerous bit of riding I saw last year was by someone on a HD. They have the fact that the car driver was paying attention to thank for the fact that they still have two legs.

lazarus wrote:Makes me cringe. Is it significant they are all HD riders?

So cringeworthy I could only watch nearly half. I think it might be more significant that they are all yanks.........

fatboy wrote:That clip is beyond belief. How did the second bike manage to follow the first ? ????

Target fixation. In other words, not concentrating on what they were doing.

I think thats right. Plus many people's instinctive reaction to an obstacle coming up is to jam on the brakes bringing the machine upright and heading for the obstacle rather than counter steering round it. If you can counter steer a Harley that is.

Thats one reason why 50% of bike accidents are single vehicle accidents. Too fast into a corner, jam on brakes rather than lean further.

lazarus wrote:I think thats right. Plus many people's instinctive reaction to an obstacle coming up is to jam on the brakes bringing the machine upright and heading for the obstacle rather than counter steering round it. If you can counter steer a Harley that is.

Thats one reason why 50% of bike accidents are single vehicle accidents. Too fast into a corner, jam on brakes rather than lean further.

Cornering is impossible without counter steering - it's what we've all done since we were kids and first started to ride bicycles.

Remind me never to try and ride up a ramp onto or into a van! Reminds me of when me and a mate got our first bikes (CB250K4 and G5). He was a real novice and the test in those days consisted of riding round the block. We went out for his first ride in the country and he promptly disappeared into a hedge at the first tight bend.

Yeah I had a similar incident. A friend of mine (we grew up together - our parents were friends and he was the younger brother of the chap who was my best man) bought a G5 at the time I had one. He rode over to my place and then we were to ride together from the village I lived to Reading. We were off to the youth club we both attended and I had my brother on the back of mine .... and it was at night and it was raining.
The friend was obviously out to try to impress on his new (to him) G5 and set off at quite a pace. I knew he was riding too fast for his ability and knowledge of the road and I wanted to slow him down - but although I could keep up and close the gap in places, the fact I was 2-up and the state of the roads never let me quite catch him to slow the pace.

Somehow he managed to stay on until we came to a T-junction .... at which he ploughed straight on, through a hedge, a farmer's fence and ended up in a field.

...... he went on to be a motorcycle traffic cop (not quite sure how) - TC knew him at that time.

Riding a bike up a ramp into a van is a disaster waiting to happen. Since I started driving vans as 4-wheeled transport instead of cars, I must have loaded dozens (if not hundreds) of bikes into vans. The rules are:

1. Always use a wide (300mm wide minimum) ramp that is man enough for the job. The ramp must be securely located and unable to move. It should also sit flat on the van mudguard and on the road surface.

2. If there are two people to load the bike and the bike does not have motive power, one steers and pushes the bike up the ramp, the other stands behind the bike and holds onto grab rails/exhausts/subframes to assist the pusher as necessary.

3. At some point the 'pusher' will need to step up into the van to fully load the bike into the van. It's at this point that the mate has to hold the bike steady while the 'pusher' clambers into the van to complete the process.

4. If there's only one person to load the bike, but it has motive power, then it can be driven up the ramp until such point as the driver has to step into the van. At that point it's necessary to hold the front brake on, pull the clutch in, brace yourself against the van doorframe and climb in. AFter that continue (gently) driving the bike into the van.

5. If there's only one person to load the bike and it does not have motive power find a steep gradient, park the van facing downhill, and let gravity be your friend. Eat plenty of Weetabix immediately beforehand and don't bottle it.

6. Never, ever, ride a bike up a ramp into a van. That kind of nonsense is for idiots and/or Americans.

That is all.

Ramps are for wimps.. We usually lift um in.